NIAA Girls Soccer 5A Northern Region Championship, November 5, 2022

It’s been a long LONG time since I’ve “blogged” so I thought I’d start with the end of the season Girls 5A Northern Region Championship game!

If you’d like to skip to the images…

https://bit.ly/2022NVGirls5ANorthChampionship

I’ve been around the area shooting regional sports since 2007 but today was the first time I got to… let’s just say “experience” the wind at McQueen High School… To say it’s remarkable is an understatement… it was BLOWING HARD today! Wow! But it didn’t seem to deter the girls from getting after it on the pitch today!

To give you a little background… McQueen came into this game as the #2 seed coming out of the regular season. Galena arrived as the #5 seed which meant they had to play away at Carson on Monday… being the #2 seed, McQueen had a first round bye. Monday Galena squeaked past Carson with a 78th+ minute go ahead goal to win 2-1. They then faced the #1 seed at Reed on Wednesday, they won on Penalty Kicks after the two 15 minute over time periods. McQueen faced Douglas on Wednesday at Wooster (did I mention it snowed Tuesday…) and were able to win 1-0. So heading into this game Galena had already played just shy of 5 halves of play in two games, McQueen played a single game…. to back up a quick second, during the regular season, Galena v McQueen resulted in two 1-1 ties, home and away….

From the start to the last whistle of the second overtime game it was game on for both teams. Both had some action in front of the goal and some balls bouncing around in front of the goal but nothing that wasn’t handled by the defense and we ended regulation and overtime at 0-0. (seemed familiar from the regular season results)

Onto Penalty Kicks… There’s always a lot of debate about penalty kicks…. some people like them, some people hate them… I’ve been involved with this game for 43 years now and I look at it like this… they’re a part of the game, you NEED to practice them to be good at them, you know it’s a part of the game so shame on you if you haven’t worked on them (you’ve likely worked for YEARS on other things, this should be added to the list, ESPECIALLY right before a tournament…).

To say a penalty shootout is nerve-racking is an understatement… I’ve been in several over the years as a player (not as a coach yet) and I was in the first five shooters… fortunately I converted (at least in the shootouts…).

The cruelty of the game and the shootout today snagged McQueen and gave Galena the Northern Region Championship.

Both teams will go on to play in the State Championship Tournament down in the Vegas area next week. Good Luck to both teams in Vegas, Rep Northern Nevada with your heads held high, we’re all rooting for you!

Onto the photos… it was a beautiful day aside from the wind… for photos, overcast is always good, kills the really hard shadows and you can somewhat still get away with shooting in any direction on the field… I still shoot from the south end of the fields when possible just incase the sun peaks out. I’ve tried to pick some photos that show the intensity of the game… The full gallery can be found here…

https://bit.ly/2022NVGirls5ANorthChampionship

2016 NIAA Northern Regional Championship Soccer, November 5, 2016

Damonte Ranch High School hosted the 2016 NIAA 4A Northern Regional Championship Soccer matches on this BEAUTIFUL Northern Nevada Fall day, WOW is about all I can say for the conditions!  I was chatting with Jay Beesemyer after the boys game how good the weather always seems to be for the Northern Region Championship games… we’re lucky! (watch, next year will be snowing… 🙂 )

I’m going to just flat out say it, MOST all of Northern Nevada missed great soccer games today… I unfortunately had to leave after the boys game but the boys game was hard fought as one would expect.  Galena eeked out the win 1-0 on a 7th minute free kick… SUPER tough angle for the goal keeper to judge and even see the ball with the sun and that was the lone goal, that one minor detail that has so many countless times been the deciding factor in a game where the teams are so closely matched.  Tough loss for Carson, great win for Galena who will for sure represent Northern Nevada well at the State Tournament next week in Vegas.

On to the photos… you’ll see very quickly the theme that jumped out at me… this was a battle…

See more images on the site (menus to the left or the links below)

Carson High Athletics

Galena High Athletics

A very early celebration from a goal off a free kick… this would be the only goal of the match!GOAL!!! Galena High Soccer Carson High Soccer Galena High Soccer

A blocked shot on goal…
Blocked shot Galena High Soccer

They fought this PAST the end line of the field… yea, it was a little scary as they were coming right at me… 🙂
Challenge to the end, Carson High Soccer I guess technically speaking that’s not REALLY legal… but… 🙂Carson High Soccer, Peter Garrett Carson High Soccer, Peter Garrett Carson High Soccer, Peter Garrett

A CRACKING shot on goal, hit the football uprights and rang out pretty loud…Galena High Soccer Shot on Goal A contest for every ball, Galena High Soccer 161105_8507 161105_8524 Love the determination on his face!161105_8547 Jay Beesemyer with the coveted trophy!  Congrats Galena on a great season!  Go represent Northern Nevada at the State Tournament!Champions, Galena High Boys Soccer Champions, Galena High Boys Soccer

NIAA Northern Regional Championships, Soccer, Volleyball

November 8, 2014 will be a day remembered for the Douglas High Girls Athletics program! The photos will speak for themselves… Two Regional Champions crowned just hours apart, Girls Soccer and Volleyball… and plenty of smiles to go around!!  Congrats ladies!!  Good luck at State!

Douglas High Athletics Photos

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One more for Douglas!! down in Vegas… State Champion… Lindsay Adams took her second State Cross Country Championship!  Congrats!  Sorry for the year old photo… don’t have a newer one…1D1_2694

And last, but not least, the North Valleys Boys Soccer team won the NIAA Northern Region Championship today defeating Galena 2-0.  Here’s one shot from that game with my remote goal cam… kinda fun!

North Valleys Boys Soccer Photo Gallery

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NIAA Regional Girls Soccer… Douglas vs. Spanish Springs @ Carson High

It’s been a busy busy week (more in a few days, the week isn’t over yet…)… but I got to catch the NIAA Regional Girls Soccer match on Thursday night at Carson High between the Spanish Springs High Cougars and the Douglas High Tigers…  The Douglas girls started quick, as in 19 seconds into the game they fired their first shot on goal…  Douglas walked a way with a 4-1 win and ended with most of their starters resting on the bench.  Douglas will play Galena who went into penalty kicks (so they played the equivalent of an extra half of play… then kicks…) against Bishop Manogue.  The Regional Championship will be at Damonte Ranch High School at Noon on Saturday, November 8, 2014.

Here are a few shots from the night…

Sometimes you make mistakes… but sometimes it comes pretty cool… well in a photo geeky kinda way I guess! 🙂

141106_3887 141106_3918 I liked the “drive” of the players here… I can feel them moving… 🙂141106_3937I’ve been shooting McKenna for quite a few years and there’s no doubt she’s a goal scorer, look at the focus on watching the ball… need to show all the youth players this… watching the ball as you strike through it… you hit it well, you’ll have plenty of time to celebrate it going in the goal… just as it did here!

Looking forward to the Regional Championship on Saturday!141106_3950

2013 Carson High Football Season, League Champions 4-0

I’m in a unique position on the Carson High sidelines.  I get to see, hear and experience things that few people do and these season ending posts are sometimes difficult for me to write.  I want to say something worth reading, maybe even something profound…

I’m want to remind you of the the title you earned through gritty determination and hard work this season.

League Champions

Andy Cooper posted this photo on Facebook at the beginning of the season… I’m posting it again, it’s worth showing again, this is what the Reno Gazette Journal thought you’d do…photoIt’s funny to me looking back at this article, I remember standing on the sidelines after the rain had fallen… as you were beating McQueen, thinking to myself, “… you’re going to go far this season… it’s going to be a fun season!”… and look!  Sierra League Champions (4-0) and the Regional Championship game!  Well done fellas!

Here are a few images from the Regional Championship night…

Again, my buddy Ron Harpin was there too, check out his gallery… http://www.rahphotosnv.com/Carson-Football-vs-Reed

An early reception by Alan Cohen… maybe a sign of things to come… Coach Roman always “throwing” something new in to try to confuse the defense. NIAA Regional Football_Carson High_Alan Reception_instaimage_131122_3124 … a touchdown reception… again Alan Cohen… My buddy Ron (link to his gallery to come soon…) is on the other sidelines getting this from the front side…NIAA Regional Football_Carson High_Alan Touchdown_instaimage_131122_3161I certainly will say that I don’t know the rules all that well for Football… but some the proverbial ball didn’t seem to be bouncing Carson’s way last night… here however was one of a couple occasions that it did… Joey’s signal says it all.  First Down Carson!
NIAA Regional Football_Carson High_instaimage_Joey Turnover_131122_3137Nevin Elliot, the Carson Battering Ram… Reed’s big (did I mention Reed was big?) boys still couldn’t hold Nevin down…
NIAA Regional Football_Carson High_Nevin Run_instaimage_131122_3172Chase after his touchdown reception…
NIAA Regional Football_Chase Touchdown_Carson High_instaimage_131122_3182If you’ve been following my posts here you know I like to show that not everything always works out… and well… here you go…  Chase Blueberg’s touchdown reception… if you see the series you’ll see that this is indeed Chase… and the previous photo was the celebration after the touchdown… HOWEVER… the catch… well… and you know that shot above with Alan that I have from behind the end zone… my buddy Ron has the ball in the air and the ref’s backside hiding it all… sometimes it just doesn’t matter how many cameras you have pointed at the play… 🙂
NIAA Regional Football_Carson High_Follies of Football Photography_instaimage_131122_3179

 

2013 NIAA Northern Regional Championship Basketball… at Carson High

What a night for basketball!  Carson High is an amazing place for basketball.  I shoot there most often but you don’t really get a sense of the place until you get a packed house like Saturday night for the NIAA Northern Regional Championships… great fun!!

Scroll down for the boys… 🙂

The girls tipped off at 4:00 PM and the game was fast and furious… then Reno’s point guard, Gigi Hascheff put her mark on the game… 22 of Reno’s 65 points to be exact!

Reno’s 3rd/4th quarter 19-3 run sealed the deal…. Reno 65 Manogue 45130216_Reno_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Gigi130216_Reno_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Gigi2130216_Reno_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Sister130216_Reno_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Sister2130216_Manogue_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Drive 130216_Manogue_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Drive2 130216_Manogue_instaimage_Girls Basketball_PointNo question, Morse Burley Gym at Carson High is an AMAZING place for a basketball game when the place is packed… the fans chanting, the parents even at one point standing up to the cheers of the student section, what an amazing atmosphere… unfortunately for the Senators, Saturday night was the Hug Hawks night.  Carson jumped out to an early lead but the SIGNIFICANT grind the Hawks put on defensively at the end the Senators couldn’t hold on.  What a run by the Senators to end the season…

When you’ve covered a team all season, you try to come up with something new, some new angle, something… I’ve been waiting all school year for this shot (starting with volleyball…)… I LOVE being at an sporting event and hearing our National Anthem, to me, it’s one of the very best moments in sports in America.  I’m sure it’s this way to other countries but this is a very special moment, particularly when I know we have friends on duty right now defending our Country so we can enjoy these games.  This one’s for you Chris Wolfe….130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_AnthemLook, it’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Brady showing us some action! 🙂130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_SupermanMy “behind the backboard” camera is at the east end (stage end…) of the gym… so I missed Carson’s big first half with the two remote cameras…

The second half Carson had to fight for every bucket… Alan here working inside… against two Hug defenders
130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Alan

130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Matt 130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Rafe 130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Rafe2In the category of “something different”…130216_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Timeout And then Sam Williams’ dunk in the first half… Three angles! (if you look by the scorers table you can see me in this first one…).130216_Hug_instaimage_Boys Basketball_DunkUnfortunatlely, the camera that was IN my hands is the one that is out of focus for one angle. The good and bad of single point auto focus with cameras these days… the camera focuses so quick that it grabbed the blue curtain for the first few shots in this series (in the Hug High gallery…)… the other two cameras I lock the focus, so I set it and it doesn’t change….130216_Hug_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Dunk2

130216_Hug_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Dunk3 Hug working their inside game….130216_Hug_instaimage_Boys Basketball_InsideGood luck to the Reno Huskies Girls and the Hug Hawk Boys next week down in Vegas!

See you out at the courts next year!  Thanks for an exciting season!

2013 Girls NIAA Regional Basketball Semifinals at Carson High

Put two more NIAA Northern Regional Semifinals in the books and get ready for two great Championships tomorrow!!

Bishop Manogue defeated defending Nevada State Champion Reed in the first game tonight and Reno defeated Spanish Springs in the second, Manogue will face Reno Saturday at 4:00 PM for the NIAA Northern Region Division 1 Championship (at Carson High).

Here’s a glimpse of the action from tonight… check out all the images in the galleries for each school.130215_Manogue_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Drive Isn’t there usually a “story” that goes along with a photo like this? 🙂  Manogue burned nearly two minutes off the clock with Kelly Lujan dribbling the ball, and at times standing on one foot… she’s really cleaning off her shoes for more grip on the floor… 🙂130215_Manogue_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Stand 130215_Reed_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Drive 130215_Reno_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Battle 130215_Reno_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Drive 130215_Spanish Springs_instaimage_Girls Basketball_Drive

2013 Boys NIAA Northern Region Basketball Semifinals… at Carson High

After two great semifinal games… the 2013 Boys NIAA Northern Regional Championship will see the hometown Carson Senators taking on the visiting Hug Hawks!

In front of a packed house…!!!  I was expecting two great games… four teams to show up and put it all out there… and that’s exactly what I got! 🙂  Thank you fellas!!  Check out more from each team in the galleries… here’s a few from the night…

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Don’t think for a minute that McQueen just let Carson have a free basket!130214_McQueen_instaimage_Boys Basketball_SWAT

I cover Carson a lot… this is my favorite photo of Matt Nolan… if you know Matt, you’ll understand why.  To me this is just Matt being Matt… 🙂
130214_Carson_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Matt

A Carson High Cheerleader… with good reason to smile!  They’re headed to the Regional Championship!
130214_Carson_instaimage_Cheer_Smile Galena had to fight for EVERY point against Hug… The Hawks were too much for Galena tonight.130214_Galena_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Drive Mr. Sam doin’ his thing!130214_Hug_instaimage_Boys Basketball_Dunk